General Policies and Standards

Equalities

The Council will encourage applications for inclusion in its tendering processes from all of the area's diverse communities. It will endeavour to appoint contractors who are committed to promoting equality of opportunity in their own employment practices and service delivery methods and who can demonstrate the ability to assist the Council achieve its statutory responsibilities in this important area.

Risk management of contracting with suppliers with no track record will be explored. This will ensure, for example, that previous experience outside this country is not necessarily ignored or that suppliers without long term experience but demonstrating capability are not ignored.

Environmental procurement policy

Procurement has a very significant effect on the environment. The Council is committed to achieving value for money whilst taking account of:

• Whole-life costs, quality and other benefits, and not just the initial price;
• What the law says (including EC procurement rules and international agreements on trade);
• Guides for suppliers and buyers and other official guidance (such as HM Treasury and DETR's joint note on environmental issues in purchasing and DETR's Green Guide for Buyers); and
• Ensuring that what our buyers actually do is consistent with this statement, by conducting at least one pilot project or environmental audit each year covering a part of the Council;
• Specifying recycled products and re-refined mineral oils where practicable and where they offer value for money, taking account of whole life costs;
• Using the European Commission's mandatory energy-labelling scheme, buying the most energy-efficient products where they give value for money, taking account of whole-life costs;
• Making use of the environmental labels of the recognised ecolabelling schemes to help identify environmentally-preferable products (i.e. those with a low environmental impact);
• Making use of criteria already established under official ecolabelling schemes (where available and relevant to the contract) to improve specifications for products and services;
• Using the Government's Green Claims Code to inform our buyers and challenge suppliers who provide product information that appears to contravene the code's standards;
• Evaluating, as appropriate, the environmental performance of tenderers when relevant to the contract.
• Where relevant tenderers will be required to state what Environmental Management system has been put in place if any, or if their organisation has been accredited to BS 7750: 1994

Health and Safety

The Council's standard pre-qualification questionnaire requests details of applicant's health and safety policies. If your company employs fewer than 5 employees then you are not required to have a formal health and safety statement. Where a policy is submitted you should ensure that it is signed.

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